Besides Radar, the following meteorological names have been suggested for dogs at weather stations: Cloudy, Puddles, Snowy, Storm, Sunny, Twister, Tornado, Tsunami, Sunshine and Rainy. Weather dogs sometimes appear on air doing tricks, and often do public events focusing on teaching people, especially kids, about severe weather safety.

I once had a meteorological nickname myself. When I lived in their country, my Costa Rican roommates were true to the cultural norm of teasing friends about their most obvious traits, which led them to call me “Hurrikarencita” (translation: “Little Hurricane Karen.”) Thus, I was a little disappointed my search failed to find any dogs with the hurricane moniker.

Does your local station have a weather dog? What names do you favor for dogs in this line of work?

*Editor's note: We originally misidentified KOTV in this post. When Joanna Shelton, statewide creative services manager for Griffin Communications, alerted us to our error, she told us a little more about Radar. “He was rescued from 'the pound' and has helped 20,000 kids so far learn about severe weather safety,” Joanna Shelton, statewide creative services manager for Griffin Communications. “His name was chosen by our fans in an online contest.” We're sorry for the error but happy to know a little more about this adorable pup!

Karen B. London, PhD, is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Professional Dog Trainer who specializes in working with dogs with serious behavioral problems, including aggression. She is the author of five books on canine training and behavior.